


Matrimonial Tango

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Partners [25]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Established Relationship, Feels, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Maybe a little angst, Wedding Fluff, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-17
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-23 08:36:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3761821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You are cordially invited to the wedding of Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams. </p><p>(If you do come armed, don't tell Danny about it.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 7:00 a.m.

A dramatic crashing sound from the backyard jerked Steve out of a sound sleep.

Danny shot upright the same time he did, both of rolling out of bed and reaching for their guns in an instant. They were both heading for the door when Danny stopped him with a touch to the back. "Hold on." He headed for the window, pushing it open, then rolled his eyes. "You very nearly got shot by two very twitchy, sleep-deprived cops, you know that?" he shouted down at someone. "That would not have been a good way for us to start our wedding day!"

"Sorry, brah!" he heard Kamekona's voice shout. Steve swallowed a chuckle as he reset the safety on his gun. Clearly, they'd started setting up earlier than he and Danny had expected. "Little accident with the chairs. Now on, we'll be quiet as itty bitty mice."

"Little late for that!" Danny shouted back.  "Kind of hard to drift back off again after you've already had your heart attack for the morning!"

"He said he was sorry, Danno, and it wasn't even him!" Grace shouted. Steve moved to the window to see her standing in the middle of the grass, fully dressed with her hands on her hips. "It was one of the new guys. So be nice!"

Danny gave a long suffering sigh as Steve took his gun and put them both back. "'Be nice,' she says," he muttered to himself, then shouted back down at Grace. "Okay, Monkey, I'll be nice. But only for you."

She must have been satisfied with that, because by the time Steve came back over she'd returned to ordering everyone else around. Their daughter – just the words were still enough to make his chest tighten – had taken her responsibilities as wedding planner very seriously, guiding the placement of tables and flowers more efficiently than some professionals he'd seen.

"She'd make a hell of a rear admiral," he murmured, settling in against Danny's back and wrapping his arms around his middle.  

"Don't start with that." Danny leaned his head back against Steve's shoulder, relaxing against him. "If she's going to take over the world, she's going to do it where no one else is shooting at her."

Steve smiled. "That is a very good point." He slid his hand underneath the edge of Danny's shirt, flattening his palm against the warm, furry skin of his stomach. "One of these days, I'm going to convince you to stop wearing t-shirts to bed entirely."

"Only when there's a zero chance of either family members _or_ armed miscreants showing up at an unholy hour of the morning." He looked up at Steve, amused. "I flatly refuse to either deal with my sisters or go into a gunfight without a shirt on."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "But the boxers aren't a problem?"

"Hey, if I was truly prepared at all times I'd sleep in full combat gear. Since that would be uncomfortable, I've learned to be flexible." He laid his hand over Steve's hand that was still visible, threading their fingers together. "Still, it's one more reason I'm grateful that Mary and my folks all decided to stay in hotels, this time."

"I think they thought they were avoiding newlywed sex, not potential gunfire." Newlywed. Steve's smile widened into a grin at the thought. Starting today, Danny would be officially his in pretty much every way he legally could be.  "We'll be newlyweds."

Danny chuckled, glancing up at him again. "You're easy to please."

Steve nuzzled his cheek against Danny's hair. "As long as I've got you, I'm happy."

"Sap." Still, he pulled away to shut the window, turning around an tugging Steve down for a long, thorough kiss. When they broke apart, it was only for air. "Grace is distracted, my parents aren't great with mornings, and the rest of our teammates have their own incentive for staying in bed," he murmured against Steve's mouth.  "So unless Mary decides to be evil, I'd say we have a solid hour before we have to worry about the invading masses. We could use that time to get dressed, have a leisurely breakfast, and prepare ourselves for the craziness that's about to take over our home."

Steve just grinned. "Or?"

Danny pressed closer. "Or I could drag you back to bed and we could start off our wedding day properly."

Steve hooked his fingers in the waistband of Danny's boxers, stealing another kiss. "You always have the best plans."

Hands on Steve's hips, Danny started walking them both back toward the bed. "And don't you forget it."


	2. 9:00 a.m.

Fortunately, Mary did indeed decide not to be evil, and it was 8:30 before the house started to be officially invaded. Danny could pick out the different voices as they each came in, letting himself ache for just a moment that Matt wouldn't be among them.

Steve, pulling on a t-shirt, read Danny's expression as clearly as if he'd actually said the words out loud. "He's safe in Witsec, Danny," he said quietly, gently squeezing the back of Danny's neck. He might not be able to be here, but it's because of you that we know he's safe."

Danny let out a breath. "Yeah." Then he heard his mother's voice downstairs, sounding like she was arguing with his father over the phone, and a familiar resignation replaced the ache. "I don't suppose there's a chance we could get my parents into Witsec, is there?"

Steve's voice was fond and amused as he leaned his head against Danny's. "You say that now, but you'd miss them if they stopped showing up."

Danny was about to protest, make some comment about his fiancé's tendency towards delusional optimism, but then it struck him hard that Steve was probably missing John like hell right about now. And whatever he felt about Doris was probably worse, with who knows what heartbreak, anger and longing being added on top of the emotional Molotov cocktail that was their relationship.

Danny may have had a missing piece, but Steve had lost most of his puzzle.

Making yet another mental note to punch Doris in the face if he ever saw her again, he gave Steve a quick, soft kiss. "You're probably right,” he murmured, feeling protective. Then he smirked, aiming for distraction. "You are, occasionally."

"No, you only admit it occasionally. There's a difference." Steve smirked back, and if there were shadows in his thoughts then Danny couldn’t see it. "So, how much longer do you think we can hide up here?"

Before Danny could answer, they heard Mary yelling up the stairs. "Ten minutes, boys, or we're coming up there no matter how naked you are! Kono brought squirt guns!"

Danny and Steve both sighed in unison. "Remind me why I asked Kono to be my best man again?" Danny asked.

Steve grinned as they headed down the stairs. "Hey, you're marrying me. Your sense of self-preservation clearly isn't the best."

000

Kono grabbed him just as he came downstairs. “I just took it for granted that it was happening, but Adam said I need to actually _ask_ you to be my Man of Honor.” Kono and Adam’s wedding was set for next month, which meant there’d been a few weeks where weddings and crime were literally the only things the team talked about. “And before you say yes, I will warn you that if you say no and leave me with my cousin Maulana I will not hesitate to shoot you.”

“I must be brain damaged to be drawn to such violent people,” he said, grinning at her. “But of course I will.”

“Thank you.” She grinned back, pulling him into a hug. “I won’t even make you wear a dress.”

He heard Steve’s voice from further up the stairs. “Hey, the heels might—“

Danny let go of Kono long enough to point a warning finger up at him. “Finish that with a height joke, McGarrett, and you’ll be sleeping alone on your wedding night.”

Steve mimed zipping his lips as he headed down the stairs, a “Who, me?” expression on his face. When Danny flipped him off, Steve just grinned and kissed him on his way by.

The entire downstairs was already full of people, even though Danny was pretty sure not even half the guests had shown up yet. Several of them were in the kitchen working on the food, and Danny resisted the urge to wander in and start helping. He did, however, scan everything and make sure no one had snuck in any pineapple while he wasn’t looking.

He also grabbed his mother and gently steered her out of the kitchen, and Lou’s wife Renee shot him an amused look as she rescued the potato macaroni salad his mother had been about to add ketchup to. His mother, thankfully, didn’t seem to notice. “Danny, why aren’t you getting dressed yet?” she said, stopping them both mid-track to look at his t-shirt and shorts in despair. “You’re getting married in a few hours!”

“I am also a guy, Ma, which means that ‘getting dressed’ will take about 20 minutes, tops.” He hooked an arm around her shoulder, turning her around enough so she could see where Steve had gotten waylaid by Jerry and what sounded like an intensively long list of wedding superstitions. Joan, safe in Steve’s arms, had already gotten so bored she’d apparently fallen asleep. “Right now, though, I need your help with something.”

She looked at her future son-in-law, then back at Danny. “You’re going to take longer to get ready than he is,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “You know you’ll end up spending those 20 minutes you talked about just on your hair.”

“Steve and I are both perfectly capable of getting ready on our own, Mrs. I Have More Curling Irons Than A Beauty College,” he teased back, then his expression turned serious. “What I actually need you to do right now is go fuss at Steve a little, at least until his Aunt Deb shows up. You know, kind of what you did for Stella and Bridget at their weddings, without the bits where we were trying to convince Stella she was marrying an asshole.”

She looked confused. “Of course, but I don’t—“ Then understanding hit, and her entire face softened. “Oh, baby, you have such a soft heart.” She took Danny’s face in her hands, pressing a kiss against his cheek. “Always taking care of everybody. Your grandma would be so proud of you.”

Danny’s chest tightened. “It’s not a big deal.”

“That’s part of what makes it so special.” She stepped back, studying his face. “You know, the whole morning before you married Rachel you had this look on your face like you were about to throw up any second.”

He knew he’d been nervous, but he hadn’t thought it was _that_ bad. “Really?”

“Yes, really. But right now you looked as relaxed as I’ve ever seen you.” She patted his cheek. “I think your heart knows that this is it this time. You’re finally exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

Then she left to fuss at Steve. Danny let himself watch, smiling at the surprised pleasure on Steve’s face as he bent down for a hug, and felt the knowledge that she was right settle deep in his chest.

Maybe he should take one more look at his vows before the ceremony started.


	3. 11 a.m.

Steve always loved having the house full of people, and right now he was pretty sure it had never been more full. He tried hard to hug everyone as they came in, from Lou – who'd already been here, as it turned out, and had been sent back out by Renee on an errand run – to Aunt Deb and Leonard. Though Leonard had an oxygen tank he was carting around, they both seemed in good spirits.

"Finally!" Aunt Deb gave him a big, smacking kiss the moment the hug had ended. "If Leonard and I had been stuck watching your wedding from the afterlife, I'm afraid I would have had to be annoyed with you."

Steve smiled. "Well, we wouldn't want that."

When Joe came, Steve felt himself tensing even as he hugged the older man. Steve was glad he was there, but he was sure Joe was going to bring up his mother any moment—

"She's happy for you," Joe murmured, close enough to Steve's ear for everyone else not to overhear. "She wishes she could have been here."

Steve pulled away, forcibly pushing away the surge of resentment and longing that had welled up. "Not today, Joe." He took a deep breath. "Please."

Joe hesitated for a moment, looking like he wanted to argue, then nodded. "Fair enough." A beat later, he grinned. "You really should have let me throw you a real, old-fashioned bachelor party, though."

Letting his lips curve upward, Steve shrugged. "Unless you can talk Danny into stripping, I'm not interested."

Joe grimaced dramatically. "I'm now officially scarred by the mental image of that, thanks."

Before Steve could think up a comeback to that, Grace came in from the backyard. Moving through the crowd of people, she was clearly looking for someone even as she stopped to give various people hugs. When she got to Steve, she grabbed his hand. "Have you seen Danno?" she asked, looking around again. "I need to ask him about where I should stand during the ceremony, but I can't see him anywhere."

"Well, then, we'd better go find him." He looked back at Joe. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Joe waved him on. "Go take care of your family."

Family. The word blossomed in his chest, hot and bright, the same way it always did every time he thought about the fact that Danny and Grace were going to be his _family_. That they already were, in all the ways but the paperwork. He loved the team, just like he loved the spouses, children, cousins, co-workers and friends that stretched beyond that but still very much counted as ohana. But Danny and Grace... they wanted to _keep_ him. Forever.

He couldn't think of anything better.

That was the thought in his mind when they found Danny sitting on the bed upstairs, writing something on the folded piece of paper Steve knew carried the most recent copy of his vows. "Danno!" Grace threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. "You're missing your own wedding!"

Danny held up a finger. "Not my wedding yet." He narrowed his eyes at the paper, scratching out something before looking up. "This is the pre-wedding." He grinned at them both. "Completely different."

"Sure it is." Steve raised an eyebrow even as he grinned back. "When did you sneak up here? I could have sworn I was keeping a better eye on you than that."

"Just a few minutes ago. My sisters apparently brought every _single_ one of their children, and while I love them it was either hide or commit murder." He waggled his eyebrows, tucking the paper back into his pocket. "Coming up here to hide with me, my lovelies? We could lock the door, fire up a movie on Uncle Steve's tablet, pile together on the bed and let the animals downstairs run the circus until we have to get dressed."

Steve thought it sounded like a pretty good idea – or maybe it was just Danny's tempting grin – but Grace gave them both a long-suffering look and shook her head. "We have to decide where you want the three of us to stand during the ceremony," she said, tugging him to his feet. "Besides, Aunt Malia said she'd do my hair, which means I'll have to get dressed before you guys do. And if we're all snuggling on the bed, I won't want to leave."

"Okay, fine. You may have a small point there." He leaned around Grace to give Steve a kiss, each of them still holding onto one of her hands. Steve made it linger, at least until Grace cleared her throat to remind them both she was being squished.

When they broke apart, she shook her head. "You guys are worse than the eighth grade couples at school," she said fondly.

The fondness, of course, was not what caught Danny's attention. "Seriously? They're _14_ – the closest they should be getting to any kind of PDA is... never mind, I take that back. There should be _no_ PDA...."

Steve and Grace met each other's eyes, both of them grinning as Danny kept the rant going all the way downstairs.

000

Later, Steve was back upstairs, looking at himself in the mirror they'd set up in the spare bedroom. He readjusted his shirt collar for a hundredth time, though a part of him knew that it wasn't either the shirt or the tux that had left a weird itch under his skin.

He'd decided not to wear his uniform – if he wasn't allowing Danny to wear a tie, it wasn't exactly fair of him to wear one – but he hadn't expected to feel quite so... vulnerable without it. The guy in the mirror didn't look like Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett, former SuperSEAL and head of the toughest task force in Hawaii. He looked like a taller, older version of the 16-year-old science nerd who wowed everyone on the football field but still hadn't been brave enough to play the guitar at his school's talent show. Before he'd come back to Hawaii, he hadn't seen that kid in a really, really long time.

He stopped himself from adjusting his sleeves when he heard the door open. Mary stepped through, closing it behind her. "Deb said she'd hold Joan until I got back to my seat," she said, a soft smile on her face when he turned around and held his arms out in a "how do I look" gesture. "You look good, big brother."

"Thanks." He felt his throat tighten when she stepped forward, smoothing her hands over the tuxedo lapels. "And thanks for being willing to give me away."

"As if I'd let anyone else do it." Her voice was brisk, but when she looked up at him again he saw that her eyes were damp. "Besides, I kind of owe Danny. Him pissing you off into moving back to Hawaii was one of the best things that ever happened to me."

Steve smoothed a hand over her hair, remembering. "The first time you came back to Hawaii, you got kidnapped."

"True." She sniffed, the tears spilling over as she smiled up at him. "But when _you_ came back to Hawaii, I got my brother back. And that was worth a measly kidnapping or two."

Steve pulled her into a hug, his own eyes stinging.


	4. 12:00 p.m.

The big moment was here, leaving Danny standing in front of a sea of family, friends, co-workers and a few people who he was pretty sure only snuck in for the free food. He kept waiting for the anxiety to come, that whisper of doom that he'd heard in his ear so often, but the only thing skittering its way through his chest right now was anticipation. Steve was going to be here any second.

Kono leaned closer, her voice dropping to a murmur. "Remind me why it is that Steve's the one walking down the aisle and you're not?"

Grace, holding both Steve and Danny's leis at the ready, answered the question for him. "I'd be the one to walk Danno down the aisle, and I'm not giving anyone away. I'm keeping both of them."

Danny grinned. "Turns out the possessive gene runs in the family."

Chin leaned across the empty space where Steve was going to be. "Word of advice – don't lock your knees. Even if you don't go down, you'll get distracted and miss all the good stuff."

"I have done this before, you know," Danny murmured back, even that thought not enough to bring any kind of worry.

"I know, but we both know you're not going to do it again." Chin's lips curved upward. "Might as well make this one as perfect as possible."

Then Max started playing, signaling that the ceremony was about to start. The Hawaiian Wedding Song actually wasn't too bad when it was being played on a piano, not a ukulele, and it wasn't like Danny could argue with the lyrics.

_This is the moment I've waited for. I can hear my heart singing...._

Then Steve and Mary stepped out of the back door and started walking down the aisle, and everything else disappeared. He looked _really_ good, like James Bond had suddenly stopped by the islands and decided to crash a wedding, but then he grinned at Danny and the 007 aura melted away. It was his little boy grin, sweet and impish and just a little shy, and Danny's chest clenched with a rush of love so strong it nearly knocked him off his feet.

Grace, as if sensing this, shifted the leis so she could grab his hand with one of her own. He squeezed her hand, grinning back at Steve with all the love in his heart.

It felt like forever and no time at all before they got to the front, where Mary pressed a kiss against Steve's cheek and went back to her seat. Then Steve took a lei from Grace, laying it around Danny's neck, then bent his head so Danny could do the same. Then they grabbed hands again, both of them holding onto both Grace and each other, when Governor Denning started to speak.

"These leis combine the New Jersey state flower, the violet, with the traditional maile leaves. They symbolize the unbroken, eternal commitment these two men are making to each other, which in some ways is only a deepening of the commitment they've already been making to each other for years now. We're all here because we've seen that bond in action, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that it's about time this wedding happened."

There was actually a round of applause from the audience at that, and Steve rolled his eyes a little in a silent, shared joke. Danny, remembering all of the times they'd bemoaned to each other how unsurprised everyone was, finished the joke with a "what can you do?" shrug.

When the applause died down, Denning spoke again. "Now, I've been told that these two have written their vows, so I'll get out of the way for the moment and leave them to it. Danny? If you'd like to start?"

Now there was the flutter of nerves, just a little, but then Steve gave him an encouraging smile and even that faded away. Taking the ring from Kono, he slid it onto Steve's finger. "I've spent my whole life scared of what was going to happen, always seeing the worst and trying desperately to brace for it. You'd think that I was just preparing for you, Mr. I Enjoy Terrifying Danny on a Regular Basis, but here, now...." He swallowed, throat thick as he looked up into those warm, wonderful eyes. "I'm not scared. I'm not even _worried_ , and I didn't think that was even possible. And when I look at you, all I see is us in this exact same spot 20 years from now, an old married couple arguing about something stupid while the grandkids wisely ignore us."

Steve swallowed now, blinking hard, and Danny could feel his own eyes sting. "If I screw something up, I will pry the information about what I did wrong out of you so I can fix it. If someone else hurts you and you do your stoic SEAL thing, I will pry _that_ information out of you before explaining to you in detail just how wrong they are. And if, heaven forbid, someone tries to kill you, I will make them sorry they were ever born. You are _it_ for me, Steven McGarrett. I would live my whole life all over again just to get back to this point, and I will always, _always_ fight for you with every single breath in my body."

He'd gone off script a little, and it could probably qualify as rambling, but Steve's eyes had filled as Danny spoke so he was probably doing okay. The moment the last word left Danny's mouth Steve swooped down for a kiss, ignoring an aborted protest from Denning about this not being the time. Danny had the good sense to hang and just let himself fall into it, which he'd found was usually the best policy when it came to Steve.

When they broke apart, Steve's eyes were a little wild. "I'm _yours_ ," he promised, the words fierce. "Yours and Grace's. When you're a SEAL you're taught not to fear death, but the thing I'm scared of more than anything else is breaking either of your hearts. I swear to you that I will _always_ fight with every last breath in my body to come home, either with you or to you, and if I screw something up I'll wait for you to yell at me so I can fix it. Everything I've got is yours. Everything I _am_ is yours." His eyes were wet as he pressed a kiss to the back of Danny's hand, then Grace’s. “Loving you both, and being lucky enough to have you love me back, is the best thing that ever happened to me. Like you said, I’d live my whole life over again if that was what it took to get back here with you.”

The tears that Danny had been barely managing to hold back spilled over on that last bit. With the shitshow that had been Steve’s life, that was a hell of a lot bigger statement than Danny could ever make. Rather than trying, he just dragged Steve down for another kiss, ignoring the long-suffering sigh from the governor. They did break apart, however, when Chin cleared his throat and gave Steve a nudge.

When they both turned to look at him, he discreetly wiped his eyes before holding up the ring. “Sorry to interrupt, but I think you forgot something.”

There were several suspiciously damp chuckles from the audience while Steve flashed that bashful little smile that always got him out of trouble. “Sorry.” He took the ring, sliding it onto Danny’s finger, and Danny stole another kiss just because he could. Grace, wiping her own eyes, just grinned up at them.

This time, it was Denning that cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, as much as I appreciate the sentiment we do have a ceremony to finish.”

Overall, Danny and Steve were both much better behaved through the “I dos” and official declaration. Once the “you may now kiss the groom” happened, however, everyone else wisely decided to just leave them be and start the reception without them.


	5. 1:00 p.m.

Lunch was a potluck affair, everyone piling their plates high with shrimp and salads before squeezing into a spot at one of the tables they’d stuffed into pretty much every available inch of space. Aunt Deb was chatting animatedly with Danny’s mom, Mary, Kono and Danny’s sister Bridget were laughing about something, Catherine and Danny's other sister Stella were talking about something else, and Danny’s nephew Eric was asking Max a whole list of questions about something. Grace was talking to Lou’s son Will, but smiled in his and Danny’s direction and blew them a kiss when their eyes met.

Danny, tucked in next to him, surveyed the scene with a satisfaction he’d never admit to out loud. “Don’t tell anyone,” he said quietly, “but I might actually have to approve the two of them dating in a couple of years.”

Steve’s chest tightened. He’d never dared dream about building a family with someone he loved, but it had some miraculously happened anyway. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Danny just smiled at him, fingers stroking over Steve’s ring. It was sitting on the same finger that Danny’s Newark PD ring had been on until he’d shifted it over to the other hand, and it felt just as right. “It looks good on you, you know,” Danny murmured. Then his smile widened. “Then again, everything does.”

“Funny,” Steve breathed, leaning in for another kiss. “I was thinking the same thing about you.”

Once everyone had gotten settled, Chin stood up with the mic. “Now, normally the speeches are confined to the wedding party and a few family members, but since pretty much everyone who’s here counts as family in one way or another we decided we’re just going to pass the mic around.”

Next to him, Danny leaned close enough so that his lips were against Steve’s ear. “If any of my family ends up with the mic for longer than 30 seconds, I’m going to tackle them,” he murmured. “Just thought I should warn you now.”

Steve’s lips curved up. “Just make sure you don’t knock over any of the other guests.”

Chin was still talking, commanding everyone else’s attention. “To start things off, I will say that I’m technically the person responsible for all of this, since I’m the one who told Steve that some haole cop had taken over his father’s case and he’d better go take care of it.” he grinned. “Depending on the day, I’m not sure whether I should apologize to Danny or inform you both that you owe me dinner.”

“Both,” Danny called out, causing a round of laughter from the assembled guests.  

“Either way, I have to admit that it worked out pretty well for me, too. There never would have been a 5-0 if the two of you hadn’t met, and being a part of this team has changed my life in more ways than I could have imagined.” His eyes lingered on Malia, full of love, before turning back to Steve and Danny. “You made an ohana together.” His voice was thick with emotion. “And I will be forever grateful to you both for letting me be a part of it.” Then the grin returned. “Still not going to call either of you makuakane, though.”

The crowd laughed again at the comment – makuakane was Hawaiian for Dad – and even harder when Grace called out. “You’d better not – that’s my job.”

Then Kono took the mic. “As the little sister of the 5-0 ohana, first I will say that I love you both very much, and I will also be forever grateful for the chance to know you.” Then her expression turned wicked. “I’m also grateful I didn’t have time to develop crushes on either of you before the sexual tension between you knocked me sideways. It was bad enough that a few of the lab techs were even inspired to write some pretty decent fanfiction about the two of you.” Her gaze swept the crowd. “I can’t say any names, because they’re here tonight, but if anyone’s interested I’ll see what I can do about hooking you up.”

More laughter, and Danny groaned and dropped his head against Steve’s shoulder. “I forgot,” he murmured. “They’re _all_ my family.”

Steve laughed.

000

Later there was cake, both of them smashing it in each other’s faces they way they always did in movies, and then the tables were cleared away for dancing. Steve and Danny made the rounds of the family, both of them taking a separate turn with Grace as well, before finding their way back to each other the same way they always did.

“I married a Neanderthal,” Danny grumbled, completely ruining the effect of the complaint with the way his lips kept sneaking upward. “I think I still have icing in my _ear_.”

“Hey, I was careful not to get it in your hair.” Steve grinned lazily as he let Danny navigate them along the dance floor. They’d switched lead back and forth five or six times over the last three songs, and at the moment his husband was in charge. “I want points for that.”

“You have been developing some rudimentary self-preservation skills lately, which I suppose is a good thing,” Danny agreed, pulling Steve even closer. “Still, you know I’m going to have to take revenge at some point, right?”

He’d been hoping Danny would say that. He curved his body around Danny’s, lips closer to his husband’s ear. “As long as you lick it off me,” he murmured, “I’ll look forward to it.”

Jerry and his dance partner, a woman Steve was pretty sure he recognized from the forensics lab, brushed by at that point. “Sorry, sorry,” he said hurriedly, clearly eager to get he and his partner away from the immediate vicinity. “I’ll never be able to erase those images out of my mind, but that’s my fault for getting too close to a newlywed couple.”  

Lou and Renee danced closer. “We tried to warn you, my man,” he said. “First 72 hours after a wedding, the happy couple is completely unfit for polite company.” He winked at Steve and Danny. “Even when they’ve been practically married for years without ever realizing it.”

 “I will shoot all of you,” Danny complained, any pretext toward even exasperation ruined by the fact that he couldn’t stopped smiling. He looked so happy, and for some miraculous reason it was because of _Steve_. “I have a gun, and I just married the head of 5-0. I’m pretty sure I’d be allowed.”

Chest tight, Steve took advantage of Danny’s distraction to take over leading the dance. “For the record, it’s probably not the best idea to plot murder within earshot of the governor.”

Danny acknowledged the shift in power with an amused raise of the eyebrow. “Look at you, giving me sensible advice. It’s a miracle.”

Steve leaned close again. “What can I say, you’ve rubbed off on me.”

Danny shot him a look that was full of temptation. “Oh, I’m planning to.”

“And _that_ is why we left the twins with my parents,” Malia chimed in as she and Chin twirled by. “We love you both, but they’re far too young to be emotionally scarred.”

Danny just grinned up at Steve. “We’re going to be the most embarrassing parents ever.” He raised his voice enough that Grace could overhear as she danced by with one of her younger cousins. “You know that, right? You should be prepared now.”

Grace rolled her eyes even as she smiled up at them both. “You’ve always been embarrassing parents.”

If anything, Danny only looked more cheerful at that.  “We have, haven’t we?” He looked back up at Steve, the light in his eyes bright enough to outshine any darkness. “Thank you for making me so disgustingly happy we’re an embarrassment to our child, Steven.”

In his wildest fantasies, Steve knew he never could have dreamed this moment for himself. “The pleasure’s been all mine.”


	6. 6:00 p.m.

The dancing, eating and talking continued well into the evening, enough so that the leftovers from lunch were pulled back out for anyone who wanted to stay for dinner. As the hours passed the crowd slowly thinned, with friends and co-workers needing to go back to their lives, out-of-town guests needing to go back to their hotels, and even family members slipping off after awhile. Deb and Leonard needed to rest, Max and Sabrina had an early day tomorrow, and Chin and Malia wanted to go home to the twins.

“You just want to get out of cleaning up,” Danny teased, hugging them both.

Chin smiled. “You’ve caught on to my evil plan.”

Danny also ushered his biological family out the door before night actually fell, deciding his long-term sanity was more important than making them stay for the bulk of the clean-up. Still, they earned some points back by lavishing as much affection on Steve as they did Danny. Before she got in her car, his mother capped it off by giving Steve a long hug. “You were already Danny’s,” she said, kissing him on both cheeks, mafia-style. “But now you’re ours, too. Welcome to the family, Steve.”

Steve looked a little emotional. “Thank you.”

Clean-up lingered, with even more laughing and talking. For all the flirting they’d done on the dance floor, Danny had no need to rush everyone away and hurry to the wedding night. Steve was going to be in his bed for decades to come, just like he’d be here with him in the kitchen, the backyard, the car and everywhere else. This was all _his_ , as steady and sure as Steve himself was, and the certainty he’d felt during the wedding ceremony had only grown stronger. This was his forever.

He was the luckiest man alive.

Eventually, everyone else slipped out and headed home. As Grace said goodbye to Joan, Mary kissed both of Danny’s cheeks the same way his mother had to Steve. Then she smiled at him. “I would say welcome to the family,” she told him, her voice warm and content. “But we both know you were already there.”

Then it was just the three of them, which meant it was time to drop Grace back off at Rachel’s. They made it linger by cuddling on the couch looking at all the photos their daughter – even now, he still felt warm every time he thought that – had taken on her phone during the wedding.

“I got so many shots of you guys and the cake,” she said, showing picture after picture of the frosting-based carnage. They were both laughing in pretty much all of the shots, especially when it had turned into an almost-but-not-quite food fight. “Aunt Stella said she got some really good ones of the ceremony she’ll e-mail me, but I got better shots of you guys dancing than she did.”

Steve, ever a wise man when it came to appreciating Grace, studied the latest picture with obvious pride and approval. “Send me some of these, too. I was too distracted to take pictures, but I want them for my phone.”

“You try to use any shots of the cake as your lockscreen, however, and rest assured I’ll figure out some way to make you regret it,” Danny said, more for the principle of the thing than because he was actually feeling it. They were pretty good pictures, if for no other reason than they both looked ridiculously, stupidly happy.

“I would never,” Steve said with mock seriousness. Then he grinned. “I’m getting one of them printed and framed so it can go on the wall.”

When they finally did make themselves drive her to Rachel’s, she leaned forward between the seats to wrap them both in an awkward but heartfelt hug. “Thank you for loving each other,” she said, giving them both a kiss on the cheek. “No matter how much I tease you, you’re both really good parents.”

Danny’s chest felt tight as he watched her walk inside. “I should thank you, too,” he said, turning to look at his husband. “You were her other parent long before I realized it.” He swallowed, thinking about all the things he hadn’t had to do alone. “I couldn’t have asked for a better one.”

Steve blinked hard, his eyes suddenly misty, then leaned over and kissed Danny in response.

000

When they got back to the house, there was a huge, cellophane-wrapped delivery basket waiting on the front steps. Steve hesitated on the way up to it, holding up an arm to block Danny’s path. “Just let me check it out, okay?”

“You really think someone’s going to leave a gift-wrapped bomb on our front—“ Danny caught himself, shaking his head. “Of course someone would leave us a bomb on our wedding day. But I’m not about to stay safely away somewhere while you get yourself blown up.” He got a hand on Steve’s shirt. “We’ll check it out _together_ , and if it looks even vaguely bomb-like we’ll both immediately run in the opposite direction.”

Steve smiled a little. “Done.”

They went back to get flashlights out of the car, then approached the basket with all the professional caution either of them possessed. When they got close enough to shine a light on the basket’s contents, however, Danny’s shoulders immediately relaxed. “Unless we’ve suddenly found a mortal enemy with a sense of humor, I’m pretty sure no one would hide a bomb in the middle of a basket of condoms and lube.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, picking up the basket and looking at the contents more closely. “There’s some interesting stuff in here,” he said after a moment, lips slowly curving upward into his best troublemaking grin. “Hopefully, these bottles are less than three ounces so we can take them on the plane with us to Maui.”

Danny gave him an amused look, one that died when he read the note attached to the basket. “Consider this an apology for the bachelor party I couldn’t be there to plan,” he read out loud, throat tight. It wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be. “Damn it, I hope Matt cleared this with the Marshals.”

“I’m sure he did,” Steve reassured him, his own expression suddenly gentle as he set the basket back down. “He just wanted to make sure he was here for you on such a big day.”

The way Steve’s mom hadn’t. He pulled Steve down into a hug, holding on tight. “I’m going to punch Doris when I see her again,” he murmured against Steve’s neck. “Just so you know.”

Slowly, Steve tightened his arms around him. “I love you, too,” he said finally, voice a little rougher than it had been.

Danny was smiling as he pulled back. “I know you do.” Then he grinned, letting go of Steve only long enough to unlock the door. “We should probably taste-test some of the stuff in that basket, see if it’s worth bringing with us.”

Laughing, they raced each other up the stairs.

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my new original fiction on my [blog](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)


End file.
